Nicaragua
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| Official language | Spanish (official) (English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast) | ||
| Capital | Managua | ||
| President | Daniel Ortega (FSLN) | ||
| Area - Total - % water |
Ranked 115th 129,494 km² 2.9% |
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| Population - Total - Density |
Ranked 131st 5,628,517 38,80/km² |
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| Independence - Declared - Recognized |
From Spain September 15, 1821 July 25, 1850 |
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| Currency | Córdoba | ||
| Time zone | UTC -5 | ||
| National anthem | Salve a tí, Nicaragua | ||
| Internet TLD | .ni | ||
| Calling Code | 505 | ||
Nicaragua is a republic in Central America. It is the largest Central American nation. North of it is Honduras and south of it is Costa Rica. Its western coastline is on the Pacific Ocean and the eastern coastline is on the Caribbean Sea. The country's name is a combination of Nicarao, the native tribe with the most people when the Spanish came, and the Spanish word Agua, meaning water, after the two large lakes in the west of the country, Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua.
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[change] History
Nicaragua became a colony of Spain in 1524, and became a self run state in 1821, joining the United Provinces of Central America. It went away from this federation (group of countries joined together) in 1838, and became a completely self run republic in 1854.
Nicaragua was one of the richest countries in Central America in the 18th and 19th centuries. Its political and economic wellness attracted a great many people to move from Europe (mainly from Germany).
The nation's early history was marked by the desire of U.S. government commercial interests to make use of Nicaragua. When gold was found in California, Cornelius Vanderbilt's Accessory Transit Company used steamships and carriage business to link Greytown, at the mouth of the San Juan River located on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. Small stemboats traveled up the river to La Virgin on the shores of lake Nicaragua where the passengers either walked or traveled by wagon to San Juan del Sur on the Pacific coast and continued on to California.
[change] Politics
- See also: List of President of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a constitutional republic with an elected president holding executive power. The unicameral legislative body is the National Assembly, which has 93 members elected for 5-year terms. The President, and the runner-up are both members of the National Assembly, as well, and the government operates according to pseudo-parliamentary rules.
[change] Departments
For administrative purposes, Nicaragua is divided into 15 departments and two autonomous regions. The departments are Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Estelí, Granada, Jinotega, León, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rivas, Río San Juan. The two autonomous regions are Región Autónoma del Atlántico Norte and Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur, often referred to as RAAN and RAAS respectively. Until they were granted autonomy in 1985 they formed the single department of Zelaya.
[change] Geography
Nicaragua has three distinct geographical regions: the Pacific Lowlands, the North-Central Mountains and the Mosquito Coast. The Pacific Lowlands are in the west of the country, and consist of a broad, hot, fertile plain which supports most of Nicaragua's population. The capital, Managua, and the two main provincial cities, Leon and Granada all lie in this region. Punctuating this plain are several large volcanoes, many of which are active. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are common in this part of the country: much of central Managua was destroyed by an earthquake on December 23 1972.
The North-Central mountains is an upland region away from the Pacific coast, with a cooler climate than the Pacific Lowlands. About a quarter of the country's agriculture takes place in this region, with coffee grown on the higher slopes.
The Mosquito Coast is a large rainforest region, with several large rivers running through it. It has a hot and humid climate, and is very sparsely populated. The Caribbean coastline is much more sinuous than its generally straight Pacific counterpart: lagoons and deltas make it very irregular.
[change] Economy
Main article: Economy of Nicaragua
Nicaragua's economy has historically been based on the export of cash crops such as bananas, coffee and tobacco. It boasts the best rum in Central America and is 3rd in beef quality behind Argentina and Brazil. During the Contra War, much of the country's infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, and an economic blockade by the US led to the virtual collapse of the economy. Inflation ran for a time at several thousand per cent. Since the end of the war, many state-owned industries have been privatized. Inflation has been brought to manageable levels, and the economy has grown quite rapidly in recent years.
[change] Demographics
86 per cent of Nicaraguans are White or Mestizo (mixed White and Amerindian). Exactly 69% are Mestizo and 17% white. Most of the White Nicaraguans are of Spanish, German, French, Italian or from other European countries). Most of the population live in the western and central regions of the country and especially in the cities of Managua, Leon and Granada.
About 9% of Nicaragua's population is black or afro-Nicaragüense and most of the live in the country's Caribbean coast. The black population are mostly descendants of Jamaicans that were taken to Nicaragua when the region was a British protectorate. There is also a smaller number of Garifuna, a people of mixed African, Carib, Angolan, Congoan and Arawak descent.
Just 5% of the population are of pure indigenous descent. Nicaragua's pre-Colombian population included the Nahuatl-speaking Nicarao people of the west, and six ethnic groups including the Miskitos, Ramas and Sumos in the Caribbean region. While very few pure-blooded Nicarao people still exist, the Caribbean peoples have remained distinct. In the mid-1980s, the government divided the eastern half of the country - the former department of Zelaya - into two autonomous regions and granted the African and indigenous people of the region limited self-rule.
There is also a small Middle Eastern-Nicaraguan community of Syrian, Armenian, Palestinian, Jews and Lebanese people in Nicaragua with a total population of about 30,000, and an East Asian community of Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese people. The number of Chinese is 12,000. They Spanish and maintain their ancestral languages as well.
Spanish is spoken by about 90% of Nicaraguans; the Nicaraguan dialect has many similarities to Galician, and also has similarities to Argentinian Spanish which uses "vos" instead of "tu", along with the "vos" conjugation. The black population of the east coast region has English as its first language. Several indigenous peoples of the east still use their original languages.
Roman Catholicism is the major religion, but evangelical Protestant groups have grown recently, and there are strong Anglican and Moravian communities on the Caribbean coast. Islam and Judaism is also practice by a small community.
Ninety per cent of Nicaraguans live in the Pacific and central lowlands and the adjacent interior highlands. The population is 54% urban.
[change] Culture
Nicaraguan culture is very different. The west and central region of the country was colonized by European and has a similar culture to other Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, like Argentina and Uruguay. The people of western Nicaragua are mostly Europeans and Mestizo; Spanish is the main language for most of them.
The eastern half of the country, on the other hand, was once a British protectorate. English is still the first language of most people in this region, and its culture is more similar to Caribbean nations. There is a large population of people of African descent, as well as a smaller Garifuna population.
Of the cultures that were present before European colonization, the Nahuatl-speaking peoples who populated the west of the country have essentially been assimilated into the Latino culture. In the east many indigenous groups have kept a different identity. The Sumos and Ramas people still use their original languages and also speak English and/or Spanish.
[change] Miscellaneous topics
- Nicaraguan Cuisine
- Nicaraguan Diaspora
- Communications in Nicaragua
- Transportation in Nicaragua
- Military of Nicaragua
- Foreign relations of Nicaragua
[change] Other websites
- Nicaraguan Art Art and Literature by Nicaraguans
- Ruben Dario
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| Independent | Antigua and Barbuda · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Canada · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago · United States |
| Governed by other countries | Anguilla · Aruba · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Greenland · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Montserrat · Navassa Island · Netherlands Antilles · Puerto Rico · Saint-Pierre and Miquelon · Turks and Caicos Islands · U.S. Virgin Islands |
